Influenced by the play of light and shadow at midnight, these eye-catching carpet designs are taken from our online gallery, Design Portal.
Tag Archives: Design Portal
La Pause with Francoise
Ulster’s Contract Sales Manager, Francoise Kergoat, recently took part in La Pause – a lunchtime webinar by NEWH Europe. If you were unlucky enough to miss it, we thought we’d look at some of the topics that she covered.
MISSING OUR CUSTOMERS
Our European sales team has missed out on meeting our customers face-to-face recently, which has been tough.
“We don’t like the situation but we have adapted to meet the needs of our customers,” says Francoise. “Like La Fontaine’s Fable of The Oak and The Reed we have had to be flexible and resilient.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
One topic that every manufacturer has to consider is the environment. Francoise is a keen advocate of the sustainable processes undertaken by Ulster.
“This is an area that we have been very proactive in,” Francoise explains. “We were the first textile manufacturer to be accredited to ISO 14 001-2015. We have also improved our industrial processes to divert 100% of our post industrial waste away from landfill.
“Then, of course, there is the fact that we use wool in our carpets, which is a rapidly renewable material that can be recycled.
“But we aren’t stopping there and we’ve opened a new Recycling Hub where waste carpet will be recycled into Axfelt Triple Layer Underlay. We will continue to review every aspect of the company to reduce our impact on the environment. I hope my children benefit from the fact that we take the planet’s health so seriously.”
THE PERFECT FIT
When asked why Ulster is such a good fit for the hospitality sector, Francoise outlined three major areas – skills, service and reliability.
“We have highly skilled teams at every level of the company,” explained Francoise. “Our designers are some of the best in the world and we have developed technology to allow them to translate their artistry into your carpet designs.
“After all, a carpet for the hospitality sector is a technical product, so it is key that we respond to meet these needs.
“Secondly, we provide high levels of service. Using our experience, we can anticipate a lot from the initial stages of a project right through to final installation and maintenance.
“We offer a full design and planning service and we can provide a range of resources, including our online archive, tuft boxes and bespoke samples.
“Finally, we are reliable. Our integrated manufacturing process puts us in complete control of every aspect from selecting, spinning and dyeing the wool to the bespoke design and, of course, the weaving. As a consequence, we are reactive to your needs.”
DESIGN COLLABORATIONS
The partnership approach at Ulster is an important part of our success and, as Francoise outlines, it is why interior designers, architects, managers and owners love working with us.
“When guests start booking their holidays again they will want their trip to be special. That is why design is essential as it makes your venue unique. Our experience on working on hotels, casinos and cruise ships across the world means we understand the unique requirements of the hospitality industry. You are offering an experience for your guests and our designers will help your flooring be part of that.”
THE FUTURE
Now, more than ever, owners will be looking for a return on their investment and that is why they will look to Ulster for high quality flooring that will look better for longer.
Francoise said, “We listen to our customers and react to their needs. We have developed our services and offer a strong mix between woven and tufted carpets to meet a wide range of needs.
“Our bespoke design service is as popular as ever and is perfect for those venues that want the wow factor. For projects that require a fast turnaround within a strict budget, then we have a comprehensive Stock Contract Collection.
“As we control our manufacturing processes we can continue to develop new ranges and new technology. We have continued to add new products during the pandemic and we’re excited about our forthcoming launches in 2021!”
CLICK HERE to learn more about our design services.
Design Portal
Inspiration comes in many forms. It could be a stunning view from the top of a mountain or a sparkle that catches your eye in the mundane grey of a city’s concrete jungle.
When you’re an interior designer, it can be easy to hit a brick wall when looking for inspiration. That is where Design Portal can make all the difference.
Packed full of over 9,000 designs, our online archive is easy to use and is a great way to get those creative juices flowing.
You can get a sense of what is currently on-trend by taking a look at some of the most recent designs from our creative teams based across the world.
If you want some ideas for organic designs, Japanese form or mineral styles, then you can browse our comprehensive Collections that have been expertly curated by our own Archivist.
Styles also have a habit of returning, so our Archive is also a great place to look. It contains thousands of different designs ranging from Abstract and Art Deco to Classical, Floral, Contemporary and many more.
Design Portal is also fully searchable using key words or by design numbers while you can also create your own favourites to keep for future reference.
Once you’ve found the design you want, you can even recolour it to suit the project you’re working on. If we have created a custom design for you, then these can also be uploaded into your individual collection. You can then use our standard or neutral tuft boxes to choose from over 650 colours and recolour to your heart’s content!
In terms of designs and colours, Design Portal offers an abundance of choice and a plethora of inspiration, so why not make the most of it?
You have to be registered to enjoy the benefits of Design Portal – visit https://designportal.ulstercarpets.com to find out more.
Ali’s Art of Ulster
At Ulster, we have some of the best carpet designers in the world and, as the highly talented Ali Gamal proves, his artistry isn’t just reserved for creating stunning flooring… take a look below!
Ali, one of our team based in the Middle East, studied Fine Art and, as these examples of his work demonstrate, his talents help to elevate our carpet designs to a unique level.
Ali explores wide-ranging themes through his art and this collection has been inspired by events that affect human life. This emotive work is awash with vivid detail and colour and exhibits Ali’s wonderful talents.
